Minocqua Area Fishing Report - 10/14/25

Real Fall is here!  It’s in the air, the trees, and the water temps!  Finally seeing these surface temperatures in upper 50’s to lowest of 60’s.  The fall sucker bite is underway and despite all the high pressure and the full moon, fishing has picked up!  Not everyday and all the time (that’s fishing) some daily windows have been small, but still on a positive upswing!

Musky:  Good-Very Good – Definitely sucker fishing time!  With water temps in the 58-62° range, suckers on quick strike rigs are where most action has been.  Not many reports of raising fish, though shop staff member Sam Johnson did boat a hefty 45” with his wife Lauren and 2 ½ week old son Brooks along for support!  Bite windows vary, but put time in and a hungry one will show up!

Walleye:  Poor-Exceptional-Fair – Past week went from rags to riches to so-so…at least for myself.  Bite best on redtails, though blacks and suckers also producing.  Full moon daytime can be challenging, but bite as the moon wanes should pick up before lakes cool to turn-over.

Crappie:  Good – Action relating to wood or deep coontail edges on medium fatheads.  Fish suspending 4-8’ off bottom.

Smallmouth Bass:  Fair-Good – Action spotty.  Up shallow on wind-blown edges hitting Ned rigs and shallow twitchbaits.  Nice fish to 20”, scattered but catchable.

Northern Pike:  Fair-Good – Taking shots at baits aimed at Bass, as well as, Mepps and spinnerbaits.  Mostly relating to shallow cover.  Jig and minnow also effective.

Largemouth Bass:  Good-Fair – Not as much targeted but decent action on Wacky Worms and Ned rigs as well as a few on Whopper Ploppers (Proof- a 23” last week) and our own shop Big Bass/Big Buck Nick Thiry catching a 23 ½” on a Ned rig this past week.

Yellow Perch:  Good-Fair – When winds allowed decent Perch action dragging Lindy style rigs with ½ crawlers or medium fatheads over 12-16’ flats of mud.

Bluegill:  Fair – Not many, but quality for those targeting on Flowages and deeper weed edges of lakes with ½ crawlers under slip-floats in 12-16’.  Gills over 10” reported.

Cloud cover (maybe rain?) and fairly stable temps should improve this week’s bite.  Not much to suggest the threat of turn-over just yet (yes, there is some dying algae making some lakes green, but that is on top.  It’s the end of the following week that will make things interesting.  So, load up on suckers and get out on the water.

Pictures of the week

Violet (with her Dad) holding the 21 ½” Smallmouth Bass she caught & released

Clara with a beautiful 19 ½” Smallmouth Bass (C&R)

Chris Berger, Travis Mlodik and Mark Weiland, al of Wausau, with a nice catch of Walleyes on jigs and redtails chubs

Shelly Justice of Arbor Vitae with a pair of nice Smallies (she stole one off her husband’s rod) before release

Sam Johnson, 45” Musky (C&R)

Oliver Roe of Louisville, KY, 40” Musky (C&R)

Rachel Burns of Minocqua, WI with her first Musky, 37 ¼” (C&R)

Jean Marshal of Middleton, WI with a 16” Largemouth Bass (C&R)

Linda Searn of Buffalo, NY with her first Walleye - 16 ½”

Don Searn of Buffalo, NY with a 18” Smallmouth Bass (C&R)

Nick Thiry with a 23” Largemouth Bass